How to create a successful community newsletter fundraiser program

Community News and Updates:

• Highlight upcoming events, recent achievements, or noteworthy news within the community.
• Share updates on community projects, initiatives, or developments.

Local Event Announcements

• Promote upcoming events, workshops, or activities happening in the community.
• Recap past events with photos, attendee testimonials, or highlights.

New Store Opening Announcements

Restaurant Chef Interviews

Local Business Spotlights

• Showcase local businesses, artisans, or entrepreneurs.
• Feature interviews, behind-the-scenes looks, or special promotions from businesses within the community.

Community Spotlight

• Highlight a different neighborhood, local landmark, or hidden gem.

Seasonal or Holiday Content

• Provide seasonal tips, recipes, or activity ideas related to upcoming holidays or events.

Member Contributions

• Invite community members to contribute articles, stories, or tips.
• Feature guest posts or submissions from residents, organizations, or community leaders.

Community Resources

• Compile a list of helpful resources, such as local organizations, support services, or recreational facilities.

Educational Content

• Provide tips, guides, or how-to articles relevant to your community’s interests or needs.
• Share educational resources or articles on topics such as health, safety, or local resources.

Creating an email newsletter is easy, however, getting subscribers can be challenging. But if you maximize your network and heavily promote the fact that this is a fundraising effort, you should be able to find them. Plus, if you’re producing content they want to see, you’ll keep them around for a long time and eventually grow your list of subscribers to a number that local businesses will most definitely be interested in reaching.

You should get the majority of your subscribers by promoting the newsletter on all your social media channels and providing a direct link to your sign up form, which should be housed on your website. If you don’t have a website, your sign up form can be hosted by your email sending service.

You have quite a number of options at your disposal for sending out your email newsletters.

If you have a website, you can publish your newsletter there and simply use the email to just highlight information and link back to the full story. Email space is limited and if it runs too long, some of your content may get clipped, forcing people to expand their email window. So if you plan on having a newsletter that is more story driven, you may want to consider this option.

If you only have a couple of hundred subscribers, you can send your email through your regular email provider such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail. However, there are limits on the volume of emails you can send out. If your newsletter subscriber base is 500 or more, you’ll want to go with an email marketing platform such as Constant Contact or something similar. It will cost you, however you’ll just need to factor these costs into your sponsorship and advertising fees.

If you want to skip the advertisements and sponsorships as a means of generating revenue and rely solely on paid subscriptions, you can use a resource like Substack which is free to send, however you will have to pay them a small percentage of your subscription revenue. The good news is that Substack will manage your entire subscription process.